This invention relates to the removal and destruction of fibrous materials, organic or inorganic, which enter the wastewater process, as a result of incomplete destruction of materials in the comminuting, and builds up in the primary settling tanks aeration basins, clarifiers and sludge holding zones.
At the present time, comminuting devices reduce the size of particles in the influent wastewater by cutting and shedding various materials found therein and passing them into the wastewater stream. The existence of fibers, independent or agglomerating into rope-like configurations, occurs frequently dispite the most sophisticated comminuting or pre-digesting techniques. The presence of these fibers in the primary settling tanks, aeration basins, clarifiers, and sludge holding zones in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment systems has long presented a serious and costly problem in the operation of these facilities as well as destruction of internal piping. Fibers passing through the comminuting process, either in long form or short form, gather in the subsequent processing tanks, resulting in grave inefficiencies to these processes and greater maintenance cost due to cleaning and/or repair.
Some systems have attempted to minimize this problem by collecting oversize material, prior to comminuting, on screens or other elementary devices. However, this requires that the screens be raked clean or removed and replaced periodically, adding higher capital expenditure and maintenance costs.
In addition to the difficulty in removing fibrous materials, many existing wastewater treatment systems are inadequately prepared for the high volume of fibrous waste introduced into the wastewater as a result of higher population and/or industry.